The De Pandis case is exploding. Even if a delayed outbreak. In the last few days they have popped up thousands of contents on social media around a video published by Camilla De Pandis on October 29th. We are talking about a creator well known to younger users: ha 1.6 million followers on TikTok, beyond 700,000 on Instagram, almost 170,000 members on YouTube.
De Pandis published a video in which she and a group of friends show that they have found a way to Skip the line at Universal Studio OrlandoFlorida. In favor of the camera, De Pandis’ friends say they have created fake disability certificates to get a Attractions Assistance Pass for Guests. A pass, also called Disability Passwhich allows you to skip the queue at park attractions.
According to the portal data Queue Times only in 2023 was visited by 9,750,000 people. Lines can be long. The Disability Passreading on the park’s website, is a certificate dedicated to both those who have a physical and cognitive disability.
Faking a disability to skip the queue at the amusement park: the case of Camilla De Pandis
The Pass is valid for the person being certified and for five companions. De Pandis and his friends were 12: they say they obtained two. De Pandis’ images were taken by many creators. We asked the lawyer Giuseppe Di Palo what are the legal risks of these actions.
The lawyer’s analysis of the De Pandis case
Giuseppe Di Palo is a lawyer criminal lawyerborn in 1985. He is also active on social media. On Instagram he has 340,000 followers. He dedicated a video to the De Pandis case and we listened to him to better understand what the consequences could be. The main point is that here we are not talking about a public titlesuch as the dedicated parking pass for disabled people. We are faced with a private certificate.
With Di Paolo we tried to read the events as if they had happened in Italy. “Falsifying a disabled parking coupon is a crime. Falsifying any type of private certification, however, is not technically a crime. Forgery in a private document has become a civil offense. Where damage is ascertained, action can be taken, but always in a civil manner.”
Now. In agreement with Di Paolo we can say that it is very difficult for them to exist consequences for De Pandis’s gesture. At least from a legal point of view. Another thing are issues related to public image. Since the case broke out, De Pandis has stopped publishing content on social media. In the past we have seen how problems of this kind have compromised the creators’ relationships with brands.
Here Di Palo explains what he could do Universal Studio: “It seems unlikely to me that he would sue. However, the case has become very viral in Italy. Hypothetically, the band could take action against the subject, in case they wanted to take action. To De Pandis, or in any case to those who used the Disability Passaccess to the park could be prevented.”
